Open for Debate

6/1/2025

From the Spring 2025 US Journal

By Sarah Humm, Communications Coordinator

Speech. That's a short, funny-looking word for something so powerful. It is the way in which we speak, it is everything we say. It is protected by the First Amendment. Giving one strikes fear in many. But, it seems, not for our seniors. At nearly every assembly, one senior, introduced by a friend, calmly takes the stage in a packed auditorium to deliver his personal version of this graduation requirement.

This tradition is not just about demonstrating the ability to deliver an effective speech. It is about the preparation—a student has to consider his experiences and examine his opinions. It is about the audience—the students and faculty, hearing something they have never heard before, or gaining a new perspective on something they think about all the time. This give-and-take of thoughtful speaking and listening—true communication— is the heart of learning and understanding.

In the spirit of communicating for understanding, we recognize the importance of civil discourse this year. Across each division, guest speakers—including a mayor and the leader of one of the oldest free-speech forums in the country—and special activities bring this idea to students in new ways. These events complement the work teachers do every day to guide students in discovering and sharing their voice.

A WHALE OF AN ELECTION - LOWER SCHOOL

When considering how to present the idea of civil discourse to our youngest boys, Lisa Cummings, Director of the Lower School, needed to simplify this intangible concept. "I wanted the boys to understand the process and benefits of democracy, without a focus on individual candidates. We reframed it as democracy and dialogue." Mrs. Cummings wanted to create an active element to bring these ideas to life. She wanted the boys to vote on something, but what?

A visit to talk it over with Head of School Patrick Gallagher, who had been collecting items representing Lower School learning themes to decorate his relocated and renovated Shaker Campus office, presented the answer. "Why don't we let them name this whale statue?" he said. After some deliberation, two choices emerged: Dale and Waylon. There was discussion of a third-party candidate, but that name is lost to history.

As preparations began behind the scenes for Whale Name Election Day, Mrs. Cummings invited Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss to a special assembly. With help from Brady Hurley, Lower School Dean of Students, three boys were given the exciting on-stage job of asking the mayor questions about his work and being a leader.

School leaders worked with faculty members, including Morgan Sims, First Grade Associate Teacher, and Bridey Clark, Lower School Librarian, to approach the democracy and dialogue theme in a familiar way the boys love, with books. This began with a trip to the Lower School Library, where Ms. Clark and Mrs. Cummings searched the library and beyond for books that would help each grade level continue conversations in their classrooms about democracy, its process, and the importance of every person having a voice.

In the voting kick-off assembly, Ms. Clark read Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty, the whale names were revealed, and the voting process was explained. Miss Sims was impressed, though not surprised, early in the election season. "The boys were thoughtful, saying they liked the name Dale for certain reasons, but Waylon for others. Just as we would want them to, they asked questions of us and each other to formulate their own opinions."

The library doubled as the voter registration office. Every student had to register and then neatly fill out their voter ID cards, which were soon laminated to make them official. Registration was three weeks in advance so teachers kept the cards in the classroom. But they were not far from many boys' minds. Questions often heard over those three weeks included "Can I have my card?" and "Are we voting today?" The anticipation was building.

Luckily, there was an exciting and democratically crucial event planned in the meantime: a debate. Representing the candidates were Suzanne Fox, Third Grade Lead Teacher (Waylon), and Jeff Pierce, Shaker Campus Enrichment Specialist (Dale). The whale himself even made an appearance, guarded closely by his secret service agents. Various attributes of each name were discussed—the catchy rhyme of Dale vs. the melodic Waylon, reminiscent of waves and kind of punny. The boys loved the debate, and some voters even changed their minds as a result.

Finally, it was election day! With voter ID cards clutched closely, boys made their way to voting booths to cast their ballots. Everyone earned an "I Voted" sticker. Ms. Clark shared, "The boys were very proud to get their own stickers, just like their parents that day. Everyone in junior kindergarten to fourth grade were all doing and talking about the same thing. The community element was so energizing."

Students will carry the lessons of this election with them, in many ways, for a long time. When asked what he learned about democracy, Parker Barron ’33 said, "Everyone has their own opinion and different reasons why they have their opinion." Felix Rieder ’36, from the moment he heard the choices, picked his favorite and remained loyal to Dale the Whale (the winning name!), and literally carries the election with him. When asked about his voter ID card weeks later, he said immediately, "It's in my folder." He was excited about the possibility of using it in another election.

A STAGE FOR EVERY VOICE - MIDDLE SCHOOL

In October, two political candidates shared the stage for a Middle School assembly. One Democrat and one Republican, both were running for a State Representative seat though not for the same district; one was an incumbent, and one was not. But they did have something in common: both are US alumni.

The assembly—a conversation with Eric Synenberg ’97 and Steve Demetriou ’07 moderated by Bridgette Nadzam-Kasubick, Middle School Social Studies Department Chair—covered many topics of interest to the boys, including their time at US, what it is like campaigning, and how they connect with voters.

Mr. Synenberg, who has been a Beachwood city council member for six years, appreciated his time at US for setting him on a civically-involved path, "I remember many field trips we took to show us how we are part of a large and diverse Cleveland community. That inspired me." Mr. Demetriou is an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. He said the best way to connect with constituents is one-on-one, and impressed upon the boys to do the same. "Real-life interactions are more powerful and beneficial to you, and our society, than any engagement on social media." Steve and Eric now have something else in common, both are members of the Ohio House of Representatives.

The Conway Hall Auditorium stage is a busy place. In addition to hosting elected officials and whale name debates, it is, for many hours a day, the Middle School drama classroom. Samantha Pierce is the Middle School Arts Department Chair and Drama Teacher. When she started at US in 2022, one of her first goals was to help boys feel prepared for the Eighth Grade Speaking Contest. Only finalists deliver their speeches to the whole school, but she didn't want a fear of this to stop them from doing their absolute best, and some boys had shared this fear was something they thought about when working on their speeches.

So, eighth grade Drama class ends with a "Great Speeches" project. While the students don't write these, they do pick a short speech that resonates with them. They practice public speaking skills while bringing their personality to this solo performance. Ensemble work is also integral in the trimester-long class students have each year. Mrs. Pierce says, "We do a lot of kinesthetic learning. I want them testing stuff out, seeing how it doesn't work, and trying something else. The value is in the process."

The theater bug can be a real problem, especially after a great Drama class experience. Luckily, there is a cure— auditioning for a role or joining the crew of a Middle School Theatre production! Ethan Ewart ’29 was new to US as a seventh grader. That year, he auditioned for and earned the role of Donkey, the excitable and outgoing best buddy to Shrek. Though he was anxious, he said, "Having to enter the stage running and screaming really gets your nervous energy out." He is currently preparing for his next role in a Middle School musical, Jack Kelly in Newsies JR., a lead character that has a wider range of emotions to express on stage. But he is up for the challenge and wants others to challenge themselves, too. In Drama class, he noticed his friend, Jason Walker ’29, was a good singer and actor. Ethan encouraged Jason to try out for Newsies JR. Jason will be singing and selling "papes" as an ensemble Newsie.

Henry Allin ’31 acted in both Middle School Theater productions this year and always looked forward to rehearsals after school. "I like how we are like a family and everybody's friends with everybody else." Henry said he learned a lot about teamwork and creativity, noting the big difference in acting styles required in the zany The Internet is Distract—OH LOOK A KITTEN! versus the more realistic (though still a musical) Newsies Jr.

Mrs. Pierce hears from many parents about how transformative the theatre experience is for their sons, "We aren't asking them to just learn lines, we are asking them to become a member of an ensemble that's made up of many different talents, many different opinions, working together to create a singular experience. Through the power of that ensemble, that's when their voice rises up."

BOTH SIDES NOW - UPPER SCHOOL
Practices for the Upper School Speech & Debate team span multiple days per week and multiple rooms per the second floor. One day, in room 206, Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate competitors got a crash course in maritime law. James Lewis ’00, Speech & Debate Head Coach, F. Washington Jarvis Chair in Religion and Ethics, and History Teacher, opened with an overview of the primary international relations theories: realism, liberalism, and constructivism. This foundational knowledge would help the competitors as they research the latest Ohio LD debate circuit topic—whether or not the U.S. should adopt the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) treaty.

Mr. Lewis was on the US team as a student, something he considers the most valuable part of his experience here. He debated in college. Mr. Lewis has been an assistant or head coach of the team since he returned to US in 2010 and many of his weekends year-round are spent traveling to tournaments around the state and the country. In other words, he loves it. He also loves sitting down occasionally, so next up in this practice was one of the team's captains, Zaid Ashruf ’25, who presented a deep dive into UNCLOS. With slides covering everything from American hegemony to "squirrely stuff," Zaid led a discussion on what debate frameworks could work for this topic. Each LD debater must consider potential arguments to "run" for both the affirmative and negative of each topic (and topics change every two months), because they will have to debate from both sides in competition. The discussion would sometimes veer off the rails, but Zaid would bring them back with, "Let's lock in, guys."

The team captains, and their mentorship of younger students, are key to the success of the Speech & Debate team, and not just the success you can measure in state and national awards. Students are drawn to Speech & Debate for many reasons, but they stay for the intellectual challenge, the brotherhood of the team, and the friendships they make competing across the state and beyond.

Cehan Ahmad ’25 is a team captain, a successful LD debater, and is fascinated by philosophers. At a recent competition, he faced the runner-up in the 2024 City Club of Cleveland's High School Debate Championship. Before their round, which takes place in a classroom with a single judge, they swapped brief recaps of their prior rounds, and how they felt they were doing in the tournament (competitors are blind to the judging and their progress until the end of the day). Then it was all business. Lincoln- Douglas debates are tightly formatted and timed, and an overarching strategy of both sides is to fit in as much as possible. The speed at which they spoke was stunning, but very clear. They used environmental arguments, economic and empire-building arguments, moral arguments, and many more. They even argued if moral obligation is objectively real— Cehan and his philosophical mind started that one. When the 45 minutes were over, as they walked down the hall, Cehan said happily to his opponent, "That was not your typical LD round." She agreed.

Mr. Lewis enjoys seeing how each student uses their own interests and experiences in their approach. Aidan Krishnaney ’25 uses his passion for social issues to power his debates. Mr. Lewis said, "The way Aidan has been able to weave these different issues and questions into seemingly unrelated topics—what he's done with his research and interpretation, he's very successful."

It is these unique student viewpoints that keep Speech & Debate exciting after so many year-round debate seasons for Mr. Lewis and he says it has made him a better teacher. "Discussion is a big part of the culture at our school—boys love arguing about things. Being a debate coach has really taught me to value student voice and dissent in the classroom."

Even students who never have Mr. Lewis as a teacher or coach will benefit from his curiosity and teacherliness. In every assembly where the speaker takes questions from the audience, Mr. Lewis always—after a reasonable waiting period of maybe 12 seconds to give others a chance— asks the first question. It never fails to open the door to many great questions from students.

This tradition continued at the talk by Dan Moulthrop, Chief Executive Officer of the City Club of Cleveland, an organization started by a group of young people in their 20s in 1912 and one of our nation's oldest continuous independent free speech forums. Mr. Moulthrop took many questions, and one student asked for advice on how to engage in a debate with an unwilling individual who is unwavering in their opinion.

Acknowledging the challenge of this all-too-common situation, Mr. Moulthrop offered this: "Reframe this situation for yourself. Examine your own biases and listen for understanding. Ask about their sources and offer to read them, while offering yours. Make it a conversation."

The Upper School Speech & Debate team came together in a new way this year—as hosts of our school’s first in-person tournament in many years; and pulling together the Whale Name Election took the great ideas and collective effort of every Lower School faculty member. They all worked together toward the same goal, like the members of a theatrical production must. Just imagine a stage musical where each person—actors, orchestra members, backstage crew, sound and lighting technicians—all rehearsed separately. It would be an incoherent and unwatchable disaster.

This holds true for bigger things. Early in his talk, Mr. Moulthrop said what could be the subtitle for the civil discourse theme of this year, "Democracy works best when we are all in conversation with each other."

At US, we'll keep practicing.

Welcome to University School

Open for Debate

Shaker Heights Campus JUNIOR K – GRADE 8

Hunting Valley Campus GRADES 9 – 12